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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. last — final
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. cap — a hat
  5. foot — a measure
  6. race — the arms race
  7. cap — of ice
  8. race — humankind
  9. last — to go on
  10. root — of a word
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. last — finally
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. root — the cause
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. branch — a division
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pop — soda

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com